Wiebke Hoogklimmer

Wiebke Hoogklimmer is a contralto with many strings to her bow. As a concert performer, she enjoys performing both well know works, and more obscure material. She has experience in the film industry, both in the area of costume design and props management, and in conjunction with the first gay and lesbian film festival in St. Petersburg. Also, she worked as assistant director and continuity for the feature film Bandaged. Hoogklimmer uses German folk music as a therapy for people battling Alzheimer's and dementia.

Wiebke Hoogklimmer was born in Hannover, Germany, and began her musical education at the age of eight as a member of the "Girls Choir Hannover". She continued her education at the Academy of Music and Acting in Hamburg where she studied opera direction on the course initiated by Prof. Goetz Friedrich and Prof. August Everding, and graduated with distinction.She has worked as assistant director, stage manager, and substitute in the artistic management office at the Niedersaechsischen Opera in Hannover, the Hamburg State Opera, the German Opera Berlin and the International Summer Course at Schloss Weikersheim. During this time she worked with the following directors and stage designers: Guenter Roth, Stephan Mettin, Martin Rupprecht, Hans-Peter Lehmann, John Cox, John Dew, Erhard Fischer, Herbert Wernicke, Goetz Friedrich, Andreas Reinhardt.

After finishing her studies she started private vocal tuition with Elisabeth Umierski (Berlin) and continued with Prof. Annie Schoonus (Academy of Music and Acting in Hamburg) and with Christiane Bach-Roehr (Comic Opera Berlin). In 1988 to 1991 she sang with the RIAS chamber choir and had her first solo stage appearance in the role of Arnalta in Monteverdi's "Coronation of Poppea" at the Junges Theater Goettingen. She went on to sing the parts of both the king and queen in Toovey's "Ubu" at the opera stabile of the State Opera in Hamburg and then the parts of the Third Lady in Mozart's "Magic Flute" and Orfeo in Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice". 2009 she sang the part of the Geneviève in Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande" in the opera stabile of the State Opera in Hamburg.

Wiebke Hoogklimmer mainly works as a solo contralto, giving concerts and recitals. Her repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music. She equally enjoys singing well known and lesser known and unusual works. A good example is the recital she arranged with the male alto Dirk Klawuhn containing songs by Purcell and Blow. The highlight of this recital is the duet "Ode on the Death of Mr. Henry Purcell". The interesting and unusual feature of this interpretation is the female alto singing the lower part and the male alto the higher.Her repertoire so far includes, amongst other pieces, Handels Messiah, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Bach's Christmas Oratorio (performed in the Berliner Dom), St. John's Passion, Magnificat, Vivaldi's Gloria (D major), Monteverdi's Magnificat, Mozart's Coronation Mass, Spatzenmesse, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy's Paulus, Elijah, and Rossini's Petite messe solonelle.

Wiebke Hoogklimmer and the pianist Prof. Patrick Walliser have been working together since 1998. So far they have performed recitals with songs by Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Luise Adolpha Le Beau, Clara and Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Hugo Wolf, Arthur Honegger, Alban Berg, C. René Hirschfeld, Gustav Mahler and Lili Boulanger.

In 2003 her CD "Clairières dans le ciel" was published with the so named song cycle by Lili Boulanger - transposed for contralto - and with selected songs by Schubert and Mahler, and at the piano Patrick Walliser. The Label is THOROFON (order-nr. CTH 2477). 2006 her CD "Franz Schubert: Winterreise" was released with a live recording of a Lieder Recital (on the Piano again Patrick Walliser) with her own Label.